You've probably heard that employers spend just a few seconds scanning a resume before they toss it or keep it. With your chances of wowing the employer already so limited, you don't want to leave anything to chance. If you've worked for the same employer twice, it does have the potential to make you look unreliable. But when it comes to resume formatting, honesty should trump concerns about looking like a job hopper. List both stints at the same job on your resume -- provided, of course, that the jobs are relevant to the one for which you're now applying.

Reverse Chronological Order

The most common resume format is the "reverse chronological," or more simply, the "chronological" format. As its name suggests, this type of resume lists your most recent jobs in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent job at the top of the list. With this format, you'll typically list your job title, the employer, and the months and years you worked there. You'll also mention your key duties and any accomplishments or awards you received. Each stint working for the same employer should be listed among your jobs, following that reverse chronology.

Differentiating

If you worked for that same employer back-to-back, it's still appropriate to list each job individually, following the reverse chronological order. It might seem like splitting hairs to list the same job twice when there was only a month or two gap in between each stint, for example, but lumping the two stints together is not the whole truth. You don't want "tiny inconsistencies," as U.S. News & World Report's Alison Green calls them, to discount you from getting the job. Listing the months and years you worked at a company helps prospective employers get the whole picture. Get creative and look for ways to differentiate one stint from the other. Maybe you received an award during one stint or exceeded a sales goal -- that's something that can help differentiate the two stints at the same job.

Cover Letter

If you feel that the two stints at the same job need more explaining, your cover letter is the place to do it. Explain briefly why you left and why you chose to return, looking for ways to paint yourself in a positive light. For example, you might say you left to gain other experience or to work part-time while you pursued another degree. Another possible way to show that you remained in good standing with the employer: list her among your professional references. That can help show that even though you left twice, the move was amicable and you weren't cast out for doing bad work.

Job Hopping

There's always a risk that employers will see you as someone without staying power, but your movements are not as rare as you might think. In past decades, the term "job hopper" meant someone who moved from job to job without care for the employer's needs. But in the midst of widespread layoffs in recent years, that might be less of a concern. According to a report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, people tend to stay with an employer for about 4.6 years as of 2012 -- meaning lots of people moved from one job to another with relative frequency.